109 years TOWARDS A PROGRESSIVE CAMPUS PRESS | VOL. LXXXV NO. 17 | FRIDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2013
Mayoralty candidates speak up Cordova: ‘Reducing gap between gov’t and people’ SU Chem Sagarbarria: ‘Continuing primary health care system’ names nat’l poster making finalists by Nova Veraley V. Grafe
INCUMBENT MAYOR MANUEL “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria and Vice-Mayor Alan Gel Cordova, both running for the city mayor’s seat this coming election, engaged in a forum series last Feb. 12 and 14 to present their party’s platforms. The forum series aims to provide an avenue wherein members of the Silliman community are able to engage with local candidates and know their respective visions for Dumaguete. Vice-Mayor Alan Gel Cordova and the Liberal Party was the first guest in Feb. 12 and followed by the incumbent Mayor Manuel “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria in Feb. 14. Both political parties were given 20 minutes to present their respective platforms to their audience at the Multi-purpose Hall, Silliman University. Cordova said, “…by introducing candidates that are coming from the masses, the gap between the government and the governed [the people] will be reduced.” Aiming for a government lead by people from ordinary backgrounds, LP’s line-up includes a pedicab driver, a professor, an ICT I (Information and Communications Technology) president, a nurse, an advocate of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), and a lawyer. Cordova said the majority of the team were from families who were never inclined to politics but have been serving people in the different sectors of the community with hard work and sincerity. Cordova added: “There’s a tendency that only the higher ranked officials will able to decide for the development of the city, without hearing the sides of the lower ranked officials…so, creating a strong partnership between the executive and legislative department and the barangay councils in policy determinations (policy-making), will lead to an active part in both the people in the position and the masses.” Improving and maintaining peace and order; providing health programs to indigents, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities; creating an office to stop de politicization of medical assistance; and making
Dumaguete City an agricultural trading center and a center for education are the platforms in Cordova’s mayoralty. On the other hand, Mayor Manuel “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria and the Nacionalista Party presented the three-year strategic vision of the party called HEALTH. The program stands for: H-health for the people and environment, E-education, A-agriculture, L-livelihood, T-transparency, and H-housing. Sagarbarria promised to continue the primary health care system, sustaining the one-nurse per barangay policy, and focusing on medical missions; to strengthen existing moral recovery program of the city; and continue to implement Solid Waste Management programs and efficient management of septage and wastewater management facilities. “Continue maximization of skills programs among students of all levels; promotion of arts, science and technology; support training programs for the athletes; and continue linkages with research developments and extension programs of schools” are the aims of Sagarbarria for the development of education. By providing the “Waste-to-food project and Plow-now-pay-laterprogram” to farmers, Sagarbarria and the Nacionalista Party work to make varieties of food available through the increased production and productivity of agriculture, fisheries, and livestock resources; promote accessibility to agricultural land; and stimulate the development and adoption of organic farming technologies that will increase productivity in both plants and animals while decreasing the environmental impact of the food and farming industries. “Being strong is the kind of spirit the City Government of Dumaguete City is trying to cultivate in every Dumagueteño, so that together as a people, [we] can go through everything and withstand the test of time,” said Sagarbarria. This is in line with the School of Public Affairs and Governance (SPAG) activity, with its theme, “Local Political Party Platforms: Convergence with Silliman’s Vision of Public Action”. ~
By Kristine Ann Fernandez
NEW KING. Hail the new Ginoong History-Polsci 2013, Ven Albert “Abs” Buenaobra (center), with Alvin Melon (right), 1st runner up and Rys Ray Dalmacio (left), 2nd runner up. The event took place last Feb. 20 as part of CAS week. PHOTO BY Alexandra Iso
CED holds robotics tilt
By Princess T. Abellon
STUDENT-MADE ROBOTS impressed the crowd as they participated in a race at the 3rd Invitational Robotics Competition last Feb. 18 at Robinsons Place Dumaguete. Silliman University College of Engineering and Design (SU CED) organized the event which aims to “encourage the youth to embrace the technology available in Negros Oriental.” Robotics is a competition of robots which are made by representatives from various colleges and universities. There were two categories: the line tracing race and the maze traversal race. Twelve robots competed with one another. These robots were from the SU CED, SU College of Computer Studies (SU CCS), SU Physics
Department, Maxino College, and Dr. Caridad C. Labe Education Centrex for Excellence (CCL), Lapulapu City, Cebu. “They compete in pairs and the first one to finish the whole track will be the one to win,” Warren San Jose, Philippine Institute of Computer Engineers (PHICES) president said. Nico Dique, Robotics competition organizer said: “As what we did, we build our own robots from scratch. This is where creativity, art and innovative ideas spring out in us…to let the students inside and outside SU to be aware that these robots exist in simplest forms.” The winners of the line tracing race were CCL, SU Physics Departments and CCS, respectively. On the other hand, the winners of the maze traversal race were SU Physics Department, Maxino College (2nd) and CCL (3rd). ~
SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY department served as one of the eight schools nationwide which hosted the 3rd National Children’s On-TheSpot Poster Making Contest final eliminations last Feb. 14. Twenty students from 11 elementary schools in Negros Oriental participated in the competition with the theme “A better life with Chemistry”. The said contest by the Philippine Federation of Chemistry Society aims to highlight children’s view of chemistry’s role in everyday life. The top three finalists of the said competition are Deanne Araula from Dauin Central School, Aubrey Lebelo from St. Paul University Dumaguete, and Airyll Teves from Amlan Central Elementary School. Their works will then be matched with the other finalists from the rest of the host universities. Each finalist received P2,000 from the following sponsors: Dow Chemical Company, Chemrez Technologies, Boysen, Shell, and Philippine Institute for Pure and Applied Chemistry. “Chemistry is considered as the central science. Everything has a chemistry root. Almost all facets in or lives has chemistry like food production, medicine, and the environment,” said Prof. Melchor Cerdania, organizer of the event. The national winners will be announced on April 10 as a kickstarter of this year’s Philippine Chemistry Congress which will be held for the first time in Silliman University.~
Family quintet releases debut album
By Elana Joy Bartlett
IN LINE WITH the musical endeavors of Silliman’s College of Performing and Visual Arts (COPVA), three COPVA students, alongside their parents and composers, launched their debut album Unang Huni last Feb. 15. Unang Huni is geared towards Tagalog and Cebuano speaking churches. It is composed of 17 Cebuano and 3 Tagalog songs. The
Quizo family quintet is composed of Jon Riam, Onna Rhea, Yeshuah ( J.O.Y.) and parents Joni and Meriam Quizo. The album is made to reach out to churches that do not have access to Tagalog and Cebuano Christian music. “The music was purposely written for rural churches. This [album] benefits various UCCP churches particularly because most choral [songs] are written in English,” Onna Quizo said. “The album is in
response to the lack of Cebuano and Tagalong compositions,” Jon Quizo added. The composers of the said album are Jean Cuanan-Nalam and Dave Jan Fabe, with translators Rey Antonio Macalan and Grace Roble Tabada; and several arrangements by Juni Jay Tinambacan and Abner Cabantig. Unang Huni is sold for P250 and can be bought at the Divinity School.~